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| Sunday, 7 May 2006 |
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Lara determined to make good the big responsibility by A. C. de Silva On May 2nd - that's last Tuesday when Brian Lara, the mercurial left-handed batsman the West Indies boast of, became 37 years old, he no doubt had big ideas for the West Indies on his recall as the captain of the team for the series against Zimbabwe. This is the third occasion that Lara has been brought back as captain. Left-handers generally look elegant and Brian Lara is no exception. A short man, he has a slightly squat stance, an exaggerated open backlift and lightning feet. In defence, he is stylish and his aggressive shots are played with complete flourish. He is able to destroy any bowling attack. Lara means business this time at least. "We are not going to play names anymore," Lara said, after West Indies won back-to-back limited-overs internationals by five wickets and 98 runs. "We are going to play to a plan," he said. Brian Lara scored heavily when he came into the game as a youngster. Encouraged by his father Bunty, who died before his son played a Test match. The West Indian captain Lara first toured with the full West Indies side in 1990/91. He played one Test and one ODI on the tour to Pakistan, scoring 44 in his first Test innings. He toured England in 1991, but a strong batting line-up of the West Indies kept him out of the side. Lara has said that he would not go too much for the shorter version of the game and hinted that against the Zimbabweans he may skip a few games in keeping with his stated objective of foregoing the shorter games in an effort to prolong his international career. "I've cut down on the number of ODIs prior to this, so it is a situation where the guys have to learn to play the game," he said. It has been said that Lara who has been handed a big responsibility, wants to create an environment in which there is healthy competition between players to play. "I want to see someone topple whoever we consider to be best batsman," he said. Temporary home In his early years, from Trinidad, Brian Lara found a temporary home in Birmingham signed on by Warwickshire and the West Indian was an immediate success. He reeled off centuries with ease, peaking with a stunning eight-tour 501 against Durham. In just six months, Brian Lara became cricket's hottest property. It was instant success where Lara was concerned on the cricket scene. The graceful and left-handed West Indian, pine-sized, like other greats Don Bradman, Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, and accomplished in his field as few in the history of the game, stands tall amongst contemporary cricketers. Now, Lara's recall as West Indies captain, is bound to find accolades coming his way. Taking the present-day lot of cricketers, cricketers in Australia have voted Lara "The most dangerous" bat ahead of proven masters like Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya who announced his retirement from Test cricket recently. "God's gift to cricket," was how Tendulkar had once famously described Lara. "He can be so destructive even when the bowling is good." Not many batsmen can claim to be comfortable on pitches conducive to bowlers but Lara has remained an exception on various counts. The surface does not matter, for Lara is known to 'kill' the ball with his ability to spot the line and length with ample time at his disposal. Lasting joys Lara's batting has remained one of the lasting joys in cricket. Bowlers know they cannot give Lara any room, for he can pounce on the smallest of openings. The ease with which he gets into position to execute a stroke is a fascinating experience, even for those who happen to be at the receiving end. "You have to be at your best always against Lara and that is one reason why it is a huge satisfaction to get his scalp," noted Anil Kumble, who has enjoyed his numerous duels with Lara. In his international career, Lara has scripted some amazing assaults on the bowlers. How often do you see a batsman cut or pull the first ball on arriving at the crease? Lara can be trusted to dismiss a bad ball with contempt regardless of the time he would have spent in the middle. And once he settles down, his dainty footwork in place, and timing blessed with a divine touch, even the best of deliveries can be summarily buried under the avalanche of Lara's breathtaking strokeplay. In Port of Spain, his villa atop a hill is a landmark the natives are as proud of as this illustrious son of soil. Rising from a humble background in Cantaro Village in Santa Cruz, Lara, 10th in a family of 11 children, made waves as a precious 14-year-old while still studying at Fatima College. He quickly grew in stature as an entertainer of pristine quality. There is no doubt that Brian Lara excites cricket followers the world over. Batting records come his way with consumate ease and who is the only player to have batted over 700 minutes in a Test innings with his 778-minute vigil for his unconquered 400. In doing so, he became the first man to reclaim the world Test batting record not so long ago. Lara's bevy of statistics back up his cricket eminence. He has scored eight Test double-centuries, only Bradman (12) has scored more. Early statistics of Brian Lara's deeds on the cricket field: * 1st represented West Indies at U-19 level. * Test debut - 1990 in 3rd Test vs Pakistan, Lahore. Made 44 and 6. * First Test century in 1993, making 277 against Australia in Sydney. * 1994 - World Test record 375 in 5th Test against England at St. John's, Antigua. * 1994 - World first-class record 501 not out for Warwickshire vs Durham at Edgbaston. * 1994 - Scored six hundreds in his first seven first-class innings for Warwickshire: 147, 106, 120 not out, 136, 26, 140, 501 not out. * 1995 - Walks out of West Indies tour of England after dressing room row at the end of the fourth Test but is persuaded to rejoin party after four days later. * 1995 - Pulls out of tour of Australia two days before squad leave the Caribbean, following fine by West Indies Board disciplinary committee for breach of contract on England tour. * 1996 - Reprimanded by West Indies Board for derogatory remarks attributed to him following World Cup defeat by Kenya and for an altercation with team physio Denis Waight on flight from Mumbai to London following World Cup match. * 1998 - Named as West Indies captain against England in the Caribbean, leads his side to 3-1 Test series victory. * 1998 - Sacked as West Indies captain when players revolt over pay, delays start to tour South Africa but is reinstated as skipper after four days of talks end impasse. * 1999 - Returns from disastrous tour of South Africa where West Indies suffer 5-0 drubbing in Test series and lose one-day series 6-1. * 1999 - Re-appointed West Indies captain first two of four-Test series against Australia in the Caribbean. West Indies lose first Test by 312 runs, collapsing to 51 all out in the second innings - their lowest-ever Test match total. Scored first century for year-213 in Kingston to lead West Indies to
victory in second Test. Scored unbeaten 153 as West Indies for only the
fourth time, scored marathon 300 in the fourth innings to win a Test. |
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